In today’s increasingly diverse classrooms it’s no small task to personalize instruction for every student’s needs. With some students struggling to master basic skills and others leaping ahead, teachers simply don’t have the bandwidth to create individualized curriculum for every student in the class. But that’s what is needed for every student to thrive. And that’s where digital curriculum can empower educators. Let’s say the whole class is learning about calculating the area of planes: the ELL student may spend more time with the academic vocabulary, the struggling student may work on a related prerequisite topic, and the advanced student can demonstrate mastery and then move on to even more challenging examples that go beyond the standards. Effective digital curriculum provides that personalized learning experience at scale to reach all students.
Well-designed digital curriculum builds genuine interest in learning goals and makes topics more exciting through engaging media, immersive experiences, and connections to the world outside the classroom. Furthermore, digital curriculum can provide real-time scaffolds so that students, especially those struggling and at-risk, are sufficiently supported, yet challenged, and remain engaged rather than frustrated. Ensuring that students are engaged, motivated and supported are three pillars essential to ensuring achievement for all students, from struggling learners to those in need of extra intellectual challenges.
Not all digital curriculum is designed from the start to engage and motivate students. Too often, digital learning takes the form of lecture-style videos that provide no interaction or personalized learning. Effective digital curriculum facilitates interaction and requires students to explain, apply, generalize, and employ their cognitive skills. It gives students multiple means to express their learning and provides built-in support to guide students toward mastery.
Download our white paper, created in collaboration with Michael Horn, author of Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation will Change the Way the World Learns and EdWeek, to learn about research demonstrating the impact of engaging and motivating digital curriculum on student achievement. Use the Digital Curriculum Checklist to determine whether the digital curriculum you’re using is encourages higher student achievement.
